Mail-box.



No. 632,390. Patented Sept. 5, I899.

S. H. YODER.

MAIL BOX.

(Application filed Dec. 27, 1898.) {No Model.)

FIG.1

FIG-.4

FIG.2 k

WITNESSES: INVENTOR W S Herbert Yoder ATTORNEY ATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL HERBERT YODER, F R nINd-P NNsYLvAN'IA.

I MAIL-Box.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters'Patent No. 682,390, dated September 5, 1899. I

. Application filed December 27,1898. 8eri al1l'o.' 7 00,322'. (Nomodel-l To all whom it mag concern.-

aud a resident of Reading, county ofBerks, and State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and useful Improvement inMail-Boxes,

of which thefollowing is a specification, At present it is common to provideinthe various towns and cities, on the'streets, in hotels, and other places, mail-boxes from which collections are made by the carrier at stated --intervals which are marked upon a slip attached to some outside portion of the box jn plain sight, so as to serve the public as a notice when collections are made, and hence to let them know how soon their mail-will be taken to the nearest post-oflice station." Of

course it becomes almost impossible and usuallyimpractioal for the carrier or postman to make his rounds so as to arrive at each box at the specified time, and consequently the sender does not know whether the postman has just called or issoon to arrive. If he did -'know this point, he would be able to get the letter to the ofiice by going there himself in .those cases where the postman may-have arrived at the box. system an inspector must stopto unlock and called only a few moments before the sender Again, with the present open and close each'box in order to learn whether the postman has or has not been negligent in his duties as collector.

I have provided a mailbox which overcomes the difficulties briefly alluded to above, and the same is described herein by reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device embodying my invention as the mail-box appears in actual use except that certain figures vwhich may be added by hand or by a stamp a're'not indicated ontlie same, the box. being shown as ready for the market and as supplied to the office where it is toserve forfourcollections per day. Fig.2 is a view of the same box on a greatly enlarged scale and with the upper part broken away. The front 1 plate, indicator-hand,fastening-screws, and

one or two unessential details are omitted in' order to show the interior." The dotted lines show the different phases of the door. for removing themail when unlocked by the-postman. Fig. 3 is a view of one part ofthe I .mechanism by itself in order to showtbetter -Be t known that I, SAMUEL HERBERT =Yoq DER, a citizen of the United States of America,

its relation to the remaining parts with greater clearness. Fig. 4 is a similar View and for similar reasons of another detail of the device.

(1- represents the box for containing themail, which may be dropped into the same in 1 the usual or other manner by pas'sers-by. On one side thereof is a frame I), attached to the box a bymeans of screws 0 in holes d.- The frame retains a glass plate 6, behind which is a plate'having the slip of paper or similar material printed with a circular sealef. The plate which carries the paper and graduated scale f is directly behind the paper, and as far as construction is concerned the said plate and paper'may be considered-identical, as the scale f could be printed or marked directly upon the said plate. The index-hand, which is adapted to point out difierent marks on the scale, is lettered g and is fastened to -the arbor h', which is shown in Fig. 2 and passes throughthe hole 2'. (See Fig. 3.) To this arbor h is also attached secu rely a ratchetwheel j, having in this particular box twelve teeth, some of which are shown, while the others are omitted. The number of teeth is immaterial so long as the device is so .proportioned that when the door k is closed four times the wheel will" have turned around once. Such proportioning can be carried out by any mechanic, and hence the designing may not bedescribed at. any further length. The arbor hbeing fixed to both the ratchet wheelj and hand 9, the'latter rotates, every time the wheel j rotates. The hand g is on one sideof the scale f and-the wheelj on the other side. Z is a lever havinga central hole '11, through which loosely passes the arbor It, so that the said lever may turn fr elyon the said arbor in either direction an rest on the stop m in the normal position. 'One arm Z is extended 'and'brought around and down under the ar-' bor h to'act as a retraotile weight, the same being preferred-over a spring because more {reliable and durable for outside use. The

extended arm referred to is lettered, as stated,

-Z.-- This armi'must-' be of such weight as to "cause the lever'l to rest against the stop 'm with definite pressure. On opposite sides of the arbor h are holes in ando in the lever l.

rAjpinp extends from the hole n and carries jects from the same plate that end of alever, the other end being lettered s,

which is provided at its free end with a knob s This-knob s lies in the path of the door 74;, whether thelatteris opening or closing. The

door 7; is hinged at the lower right-hand corner of the box, as indicated at is. When the dooris closing, it strikes the knobs and drives it along with the djoor and the lever Z with it, because the clutch t strikes the surface of the lever at Z. When the door is being opened, on the other hand, the knob s is driven with itfor a short distance, but turns about the pin 7' without turningthe lever farther than the stop rm, because the clutch i simply moves away from the surface Z" on the lever Z. The tooth u on the clutch t prevents the knob s from going too far, as said tooth would strike against the surface Z, as is likely to happen when the door is opened violently.

'v is a pawl engaging with the wheelj and is fastened loosely to the pin '1), which proholds the scale f. The counterweight s for the pawl keeps the same engaged with the Wheel.

The details of mechanical construction having been described I will now set forth the statement of the complete operation.

' The postman in making his rounds unlocks the door band pulls it forward, removes the mail, and shuts the door again, all in the ordinary way as at present practiced in the postal service. The effect of the door upon the knob s has already been set forth. As a consequence when the knob is moved by the shutting of the door the lever Z turns, caus- -ing the pawl q to feed the ratchet-Wheel j to, the right to a predetermined distance.

The

door by this time has reached about its lowest point, and the knob has escaped contact therewith as it is pushed outside of the limit r of the path of the door, which is indicated by the dotted line or are 10. Being thereby released from the door, the knob and the lever l and all attached thereto swing back through the action of the weight Z. When the lever Zhas swung a certain distance, it comes to rest by striking the stop m, where it is in its normal position. The pawl '11 holds the ratchet-wheel in its new position. The device should be so proportioned in all cases that a certain predetermined number of openings of the door will make a complete rotation of the index-hand g, and this number should, preferably, be the number of trips of the postman per day. If the postman is to make four trips or collections, he will shut the door four times, and this number of impulses on the wheelj should turn it around once.

My plan is to provide parts of mechanism of such proportions that one may be used for "boxes where four collections are to be made andindicatcd per day, another where there are less collec ions to be indicated, another where there are six, .and so-on' indefinitely.

Say there are as many as twenty different sizes. Then theymay'be consideredas so many classes, one cl'assbeing suitable for hundreds of towns, the next class for another hundred ormore towns, and another class for another hundred or more towns, and so on, so that a fewclasses will suit a great many towns in the United States, and, similarly, suitable ar rangements can be made in other countries.

I have shown the construction so that others may build the device; but I have not shown all the different sizes, as size and proportion donotlimitmyinvention. Alargecitvwould use some of several classes. H y

To save the cost of manufacture and multiplicity of the parts by having difierent sizes, as above set forth, I may avoid the same by having but one size, with such proportions as will answer for the maximum number of calls per day; but where there are less collections the trips may be indicated to four or five or! six, 850., and then on the first trip in the morning the postman or inspector may reset the device to the.'zero-point, and thus the same box is ready for the.next set of collec-v tions, and so 'on' indefinitely. This setting could be ,efie'cted by tripping the door back and forth by rapid openings and closings'until the hand g is brought back to the startingpoint, all this being done after the last trip of the postman on any particular day, or the arbor h could be turned manually backward.

It now becomes evident that the collections need not be made at regular intervals, al-' though the ratchet-wheel and index-hand are moved through equal distances'at each impulse. The first .division on the scale may be marked 7.30 a. m., for instance, and

the next -11 a. m., the next 12 m.,' the next 4 p. m.,-and soon as long as then-umber of indications of time on the scale equals the number of impulses of the wheel per day.

My invention has been so carried out that it is not necessary to construct new boxes for the department, but any of the present boxes may be equipped without making-any change therein whatever. I

I claim as my invention- 1. In a mail-box, the combination with the box, of a door hinged thereto, an index. for causing a different indication at each closing of said door, a reciprocating lever for oper-' ating said index and a secondary lever lying in the path of said door and locked to the first lever in one direction of the movement thereof, and unlocked from said lever in the other direction of movement.

'2. In a mail-box, the combination with the box, of a door hinged thereto a lever whose one arm lies in the path of said door, a clutch on the other arm, a second lever adapted to be gripped by said clutch, and carrying a pawl, a ratchet-wheel and index controlled by said pawl, a stop m, for limiting the movement of the second lover, a tooth u for limiting the movements of the first lever and a lever to be looked thereto and adapted to turn 10 second pawl engaging with the wheel,'as and relatively to said first lever when operated by forthe purpose set forth. the opening of said door.

3. In a mail-box the combination with a Signed this-20th day of December, 1898. door hinged thereto of an index for indicating the number of times the door is closed, a SAMUEL HERBER'I YODER' lever for operating said index and having a Witnesses:

lug 0 thereon and a secondary lever s pivoted ROBERT J. MJLLER,

to said lug and normally bearing against said J. MILTON MILLER. 

